One Nil to the Weather

ONLY three games survived the horrendous weather last weekend in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League.

The solitary fixture in the South & West division was played on the 3G facility at Roselands, with the home side running out 3-1 winners over the Plymouth Argyle Development squad.

Roselands surged in front with a stunning overhead kick from Tommy Dunlop. Theo Ramsey equalised for the Pilgrims but there were further goals from Jacob Osborne and Alex Kassis to keep all three points in South Devon.

There was a surprise result at the top of the North & East Division, as Teignmouth showed why they are one of the most dangerous customers in this league, recording a 1-0 triumph at title-chasing Exwick Villa. Scott Chapman scored the only goal for the Teigns.

The final game was a tremendous result for Budleigh Salterton, as they battled out an entertaining 3-2 victory at Braunton. Tom Marsh and Russell Harrison twice put Braunton in front but Budleigh fought back on both occasions to secure an impressive three points.

Newtown on Top

TWO goals from Scott Chambers and a Darren Osmond strike were the difference for Newtown in winning the top of the table clash at home to Alphington in the North & East Division of the Scott Richards Solicitors DFL on Saturday.

A good day for Newtown also opened the door for Exwick Villa to make their move in the title race, winning 5-1 at Topsham Town with braces from Nathan May and Sam Johnson. Ash Hudd scored the other goal for Villa, while Greg MacMartin was on target for Topsham.

The University of Exeter are another side in the mix and arguably produced their best display of the season in defeating Braunton 6-2. St Martins also scored six, but without reply, in a Team of the Week display at Exmouth Town Reserves.

Olly Cheek scored the only goal as Witheridge defeated Clyst Valley in a clash between two sides at the wrong end of the table and the final game in N&E ended in a 2-1 win for Budleigh Salterton at home to Bovey Tracey Reserves.

Kingsteignton Athletic stay top of the South & West Division after an enthralling 4-3 victory over Plympton Athletic. The Rams were seemingly cruising at 4-1 but had to withstand a brave Plympton fightback before securing maximum points.

Simon Revell, Corey Price, Alfie Edwards and Sam Dicken were the scorers for Buckland Athletic Reserves in a local derby win over Newton Abbot Reserves, while another neighbourly encounter saw Waldon Athletic defeat Roselands 2-0.

Watcombe Wanderers continued their fine form with a 5-1 success at lowly Paignton Villa and the final game resulted in a 3-1 win for Plymstock United at the Plymouth Argyle Development side.

Bucks Chasing Kings

Bucks Chasing Kings

BUCKLAND Athletic Reserves maintained their pressure on leaders Kingsteignton Athletic in the South & West Division of the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League after an impressive 8-1 victory at home to a dangerous Paignton Saints outfit on the weekend.

The Kings recovered well from their first defeat of the campaign at Plymstock to overpower Roselands in a 7-0 triumph but results were a lot tighter across the rest of the division.

Plymouth Argyle’s Community Development side enjoyed their best day yet at this level, defeating high-flying Watcombe Wanderers with goals from Josh Johnson and a thunderbolt free-kick by Dylan Peters.

Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves also won 2-1 at Bere Alston and there was a confident 3-1 success for Plympton Athletic at Lakeside thanks to goals from Chris Harvey, Sam Brute and James Yates. The final game in S&W ended in a 4-2 win for Totnes & Dartington at home to Ottery St Mary, with Dan Block scoring a hat-trick for the Tots.

In the North & East Division, Newtown moved top of the table with a solid 4-1 victory at home to Chudleigh Athletic, with the goals scored by Cory O’Donoghue, Jack Gill, Ben Howard and Kyle Bassett.

Exwick Villa made a big statement in a clash between two top-four clubs, winning 5-0 at the University of Exeter. Jesse Howe scored twice for Villa and there were further goals from Ashley Brittain, Harry Walford and Mitch Ward.

There was an incredible game at Bovey Tracey Reserves, where Witheridge recorded their first win of the season with an enthralling 7-4 victory. Withy raced into a 3-0 lead and then were 5-1 up before Bovey brought it back to 5-4, and this was all inside 48 minutes. The visitors regathered their composure to eventually run out 7-4 winners.

Dan Savage scored a brace as Heavitree recorded a comfortable 6-0 win at Liverton and Budleigh Salterton were too strong for Clyst Valley in their 5-1 triumph, but the final two games were a lot closer.

Exmouth Town Reserves scored the only goal in a tight game at home to Braunton and St Martins performed superbly to win 2-0 at in-form Teignmouth, with Ben Watson and Lee Radford on target for the Saints.

Chasing Pack

Chasing Pack

PLYMSTOCK United have offered a ray of hope to the chasing pack in the South & West Division of the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League by inflicting a first defeat on league leaders Kingsteignton Athletic.

It was an ideal start for Plymstock against the visiting Rams, as Jack Lethbridge rifled home a cracking finish on nine minutes and they held that slender advantage until a 2-0 victory was sealed by a late strike from the in-form Fraser Bricknell.

Second-placed Watcombe Wanderers took their chance to close the gap with a 2-0 win at home to Bere Alston, thanks to goals from Charlie Cuss and Alex Constantinou. Waldon were unable to repeat that trick, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by a resilient Plymouth Argyle Development side. Waldon actually led 2-0 but were pegged back by a Theo Ramsey brace, including a stoppage-time leveller.

Bottom club Paignton Villa went down 2-0 at Plympton Athletic, with Chris Harvey and Scott Rennie scoring the goals, while Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves overpowered Ottery St Mary 5-1 in a clash between two struggling sides.

There was an enthralling local derby at Roselands, where the home side were beaten 5-3 by Paignton Saints. Jamie Micklewright scored again for the Saints, taking his club tally to an impressive 100 goals.

It was an emotional day for Totnes & Dartington, as they paid tribute to manager Mark Rogers, who tragically passed away earlier this month. The players delivered a brilliant performance for the gaffer, beating Lakeside Athletic 5-0 with some tremendous football on display.

In the North & East Division, leaders Alphington Town delivered a brutal display of finishing, as they dismantled Liverton United with an 11-0 win. Ryan Moody grabbed the scoring headlines, bagging five for the rampant Alphas.

St Martins were another side in ruthless mood, as they defeated Topsham Town 10-0, with Lee Radford scoring a hat-trick for the Saints. It was a far tougher assignment for second-placed Newtown, as they eventually ran out 2-1 winners at Braunton with goals from Kyle Bassett and a Jack Gill penalty.

Back to the theme of dominant victories and the University of Exeter are a side in form, as they won 6-0 at lowly Clyst Valley, with Josh Valentin another in the weekend hat-trick club. Exwick Villa triumphed 2-0 at home to Witheridge with goals from Nathan May and Ashley Brittain.

Chudleigh and Teignmouth shared the points in an entertaining 2-2 draw and there was a narrow 3-2 win for Heavitree at home to Budlegih Salterton to round off another intriguing weekend of action in the Devon Football League.

The final game of the weekend was another cracker and completed the first round of the McDonalds League Cup. Tavistock Reserves were seemingly cruising at 4-1 up against Exmouth Town Reserves but the visitors produced an extraordinary fightback to eventually progress with a 5-4 win.

totnes and dartington

Sombre Weekend

FOLLOWING the devastating news of the passing of Totnes & Dartington manager Mark Rogers at such a young age, football results took a back seat this weekend for all involved in Devon Football.

The Tots paid tribute to Mark on the weekend, as they heralded a fantastic club stalwart, who was a tremendous footballer, coach and person on the local scene for many years. All of us at the Devon Football League send our thoughts to everyone at Totnes & Dartington Football Club.

Most of all, we send our love and deepest condolences to Mark’s family and friends at this very sad time. Rest in Peace Buck.

On the pitches of Devon this weekend, it was all about the First Round of the McDonalds League Cup and, keeping up the early-season trend in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League, the goals were flying in all over the place.

In a tussle between two sides riding high in their respective divisions, it was Exwick Villa from North & East who prevailed in a 6-2 win at ten-man Waldon Athletic from South & West. Sam Johnson bagged a hat-trick for Villa and there were also goals from Ashley Brittain, Jesse Howe and Ash Hudd.

N&E leaders Newtown were beaten 4-3 at home to Buckland Athletic Reserves in a superb game of football, while winless Clyst Valley were unable to break their duck at Heavitree United, going down 5-1 in a game where Sam Kemp scored as hat-trick for the hosts.

A new management team took charge for Newton Abbot Spurs in their 4-0 triumph at home to Ottery St Mary and Alphington had to work very at Bere Alston before squeezing to a 2-1 victory with a man of the match performance from Luke White.

Kingsteignton Athletic have been imperious in their 100% start to the league season but were made to work extremely hard before overcoming Roselands 2-1. It was an equally slender margin of victory for Topsham Town, defeating Plymouth Argyle’s Community Development side 1-0.

Budleigh Salterton needed a penalty shoot-out before finally getting past Chudleigh Athletic after a 2-2 draw in normal time. The University of Exeter also triumphed in the spot-kick lottery after being held to an entertaining 3-3 draw against Paignton Saints.

Witheridge are yet to win in the league this season but the cup clearly suits them, as Liverton United were crushed 10-2 in a superb display from Withy, while St Martins were almost as impressive in their 4-0 win at home to Watcombe Wanderers.

Paignton Villa are another side who have struggled to find form in their league campaign but were simply unplayable in the cup, demolishing Lakeside Athletic 8-0 with hat-tricks from Chris Srdinko and Tom Parvin.

The final game of the day yielded yet another treble on a day of hat-tricks, as Fraser Bricknell brilliantly helped Plymstock United fight back at home to Braunton and eventually triumph 4-3 after extra-time.

devon football league

Club Bereavement

The McDonalds League Cup game this weekend between Totnes & Dartington and Plympton Athletic has been postponed due to a club bereavement.

As a mark of respect, the game will be rescheduled for a later date and all our thoughts are with everyone connected to Totnes & Dartington.  

buckland athletic reserves v plympton athletic devon football league

Manager Focus: Marc Revell (Buckland Athletic Reserves)

Image: Buckland Athletic Reserves in DFL action at home to Plympton Athletic. Bucks won 2-1. (c)MiraclePR

Buckland Athletic Reserves against Newtown is one of the plum ties of the First Round of the McDonalds League Cup with SDFL double-winning Bucks inviting East Devon Senior Cup holders Newtown to Homers Heath on Saturday.

Both sides are in winning form at the moment with Newtown leading the North & East Division and Buckland looking strong in fourth place in the South & East.

The encounter should be a fine one for the neutral and we caught up with Buckland manager Marc Revell after his side’s recent win against Plympton Athletic to ask him for his thoughts on the game and his side’s start to the season so far.

“I went to watch Newtown the other night at Liverton and they look good,” admitted Revell. “They look like they’ve got experienced forwards and they play football. They picked Liverton apart and, without meaning any disrespect, the result was a little generous on Liverton.

“I’ll try and get my lads to be wise to the fact that, playing against an older bunch, they will be a bit more experienced.”

I said to the lads if teams outwork you it doesn’t matter how good you are you won’t win football matches.

Revell worked alongside Neil Snell as Buckland led from the front in the SDFL last season, fighting off late challenges from Kingsteignton Athletic and Chudleigh Athletic to claim the league title before beating the Rams in the Herald Cup final. Snell stepped down from his role in the summer and handed the reigns to Revell.

“I love the guy; he’s brilliant,” said Revell. “I had to respect the fact that he wanted to step down and have a bit of time out but I’ve said to him, when you’re ready and want some time, I could always do with an assistant, I’m happy to do reverse roles and get him back involved.

“I’ve learnt from managing with Neil that the lads like a bit of geeing up but they’re also a listening bunch,” he continued. “We’ve got a good bunch of old and young so they’re willing to learn and listen to what you say. That’s why me and Neil worked so well together because I’m a tactical person, I go in with the stats and experience angle, whereas Neil shoots from the hip and wears his heart on his sleeve.”

That doesn’t mean that Revell is unwilling to let his players know when he expects more and his side escaped a roasting when Dan Rankin fired home a late winner in a recent game against Plympton.

“It was frustrating,” admitted Revell. “It should have been buried by half-time; it wasn’t. I said to them at half time, if they stay in this they will get a chance or two against you. You can have 30 chances against a team and if you’ve only scored one goal you’re at risk of getting a draw. Then they equalised after us having loads of pressure. Then Ranks (Dan Rankin) popped up with an unbelievable goal. I told him at half-time to stop hitting it with his right because he’s useless on his right and then he’s done that!

“I was ready to give them a rollicking in there at one all but the complexion of my post-match conversation changed after winning,” Revell said with a wry smile. “A win’s a win at the end of the day so I’ll give them a bit of a respite. It definitely shows character and that’s what I’ve asked of them all.

“We drew with Waldon and with Totnes and I was starting to question some of the lads’ character and fight so it was a good little bit of a response from them and I can’t moan too much; it’s amateur football at the end of the day.

I want to stick with the philosophy of bringing the youngsters through.

“It’s been a frustrating start to the season: three wins, two draws and one defeat.

“I told the lads this league would be competitive despite the fact that some of the teams that have come up into our league are from levels below. If you don’t put in effort against the teams that have probably got less quality but do put in that work and effort you won’t beat them. That’s no disrespect to your Roselands, when we lost here, and Totnes.

“People don’t get many chances to play on pitches like this. It’s hard to accept but I said to the lads if teams outwork you it doesn’t matter how good you are you won’t win football matches. I know with three wins (now four wins after Saturday’s victory at Paignton Villa), two draws and a defeat, I’m probably looking at it slightly more negatively than the league table suggests but that’s because my standards are high.”

Finally, I asked Revell about his plans and Buckland’s prospects for the rest of the season.

“Being the middle team in this club, I want to stick with the philosophy of bringing the youngsters through,” he said. “We’ve got four or five 16 and 17 year-olds in the squad now. I don’t want to bring others in and shut their chances out. We’ve brought one or two in but that’s only to give us some depth.

“It’s going to be a physical season with midweek games down in Plymouth or wherever it might be but I always aim for top six and I hope to surprise myself and the league with a bit more than that.”

Cup Starts, League Continues

Cup Starts, League Continues

TEIGNMOUTH won the opening game of the McDonalds League Cup in the Scott Richards Devon Football League, with the majority of clubs beginning their cup campaign this weekend.

The Teigns were in rampant form, dismantling Bovey Tracey Reserves with a 9-2 victory. Hayden Roe and Jo Sibal both scored a brace, with the further goals coming from Sam Chapman, Jack Baxter, Jake Smith, Sean Ayre and Myles James.

In the North & East Division, Exmouth Town Reserves ended the 100% record of Exwick Villa with a combative 0-0 draw and that opened the door for Alphington Town to gain momentum in what is already proving to be a thrilling title race.

The Alphas were outstanding in recording an 8-2 victory over Chudleigh Athletic. James Mudge grabbed the headlines with a fine hat-trick and Cory O’Donoghue was similarly impressive in bagging a double for Newtown, as they defeated Topsham Town 3-0.

Budleigh Salterton produced their finest display of the campaign with a superb 4-0 win at home to St Martins and the University of Exeter continued their excellent run of form by inflicting a 2-0 defeat on a strong Heavitree side.

The final game in N&E ended in a 5-2 win for Braunton at Liverton United, with braces from Tom Marsh and Ben Aiken, plus Lewis Lowe also on target for the visitors.

The relentless march of Kingsteignton Athletic continued in the South & West Division, as they swept past second-placed Watcombe Wanderers with a resounding 6-2 triumph. Ollie Kewell bagged a hat-trick for the Rams, Aaron Paget scored twice and Tyler Joint also notched. Joe and Alex Constantinou scored for the Wanderers.

Paignton Saints also hit six on the weekend and a sensational individual performance from Jamie Micklewright, as he scored five goals in the 6-3 win over Plymstock United. Waldon Athletic were too strong for bottom club Newton Abbot Spurs, recording a 4-1 triumph.

Bere Alston turned on the style at home to Ottery St Mary, winning an entertaining encounter 4-2. Chris Bray scored twice for the hosts and there were also goals from Harry Hardy and Ben Backway.

Roselands won a mid-table tussle 3-1 at Lakeside Athletic, thanks to goals from Alex Booth, Zach Norton and Tom Reeves. There were also wins on the road for Plympton Athletic and Buckland Athletic Reserves.

James Yates and Dom Lapthorne scored the goals in a 2-1 victory for Plympton at Totnes & Dartington, and it was the same scoreline for the Bucks at Paignton Villa, thanks to goals from Mitch McCann and Kofi Shaw.

Weekend Review

GOALS were again the theme of the weekend in the Scott Richards Solicitors Devon Football League, with an average of almost five per game in the North & East Division.

Alphington dropped their first points of the campaign, as they were held in a 3-3 thriller at home to Topsham Town. It was a great result for Topsham, who were denied all three points by a superb late penalty save from the home side but a brace from Connor Howe and Alex Gibbins’ strike enough to halt the Alphas march.

Exwick Villa were one of many leading sides given the chance to exploit the dropped points for Alphington and they duly delivered with a 4-2 home win over Chudleigh, who twice pegged back their hosts with goals from Aspden Wilson but were ultimately beaten by a Sam Johnson double and further strikes from Jesse Howe and Tom Tricker.

A 2-1 win at home to Witheridge kept Teignmouth right in the mix at the top and Newtown overcame a tough Braunton side in the battle between fifth and seventh before kick-off. Kyle Bassett and Ben Howard were on target for Newtown in a 2-0 win.

A Lee Radford brace helped St Martins secure a 4-1 triumph over the University of Exeter and the Saints are quietly moving into a dangerous position near the top, while there were important wins for Liverton and Budleigh Salterton down the bottom of the table.

In a clash between two sides without a point before kick-off, Liverton came out 3-2 winners at Bovey Tracey Reserves and Budleigh were too strong for bottom club Clyst Valley, as they ran out 5-2 victors at Winslade Park.

The goals were not quite so free-flowing in the South & West Division, where Kingsteignton Athletic extended their lead at the top with a 1-0 win at fourth-placed Waldon Athletic, with Ashley Dove scoring the only goal of the game.

The two teams in second and third before kick-off could not be separated, as Watcombe Wanderers and Tavistock Reserves battled out a 1-1 draw, with Lloyd Russell’s opener for Tavvy cancelled out in the second half.

Plymstock United moved into the chasing pack with an excellent 3-1 win at home to Lakeside Athletic. Jack Lethbridge opened the scoring for Plymstock, Lakeside then levelled but were beaten by second-half goals from Kriss Young and Fraser Bricknell.

There was a massive win down the bottom for Ottery St Mary, as they defeated Plymouth Argyle’s Community Development side with a 2-0 win. Paignton Villa got their first victory at this level, edging past Newton Abbot Spurs Reserves with a 2-1 scoreline.

Sam Chorley scored the only goal for Roselands in their 1-0 success at Totnes & Dartington, a Dan Rankin double gave Buckland Athletic Reserves a 2-1 win at home to Plympton Athletic and the final game ended in a 3-1 triumph for Paignton Saints at Bere Alston United.